With last week's news that Universal Studios Florida was pushing back the debut of its new roller coaster, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, I wondered how much work Universal still had to do. Well, Theme Park Insider reader Gareth H must have read my mind, because this afternoon he sent along these photos he snapped as he drove in to Universal.

Track arriving at Universal.

A crane lifts the main drop track into place.

A view of the station

A view from track level

(From the look of these, I'm thinking late June, early July. Anyone else want to take a guess?)

Replies (26)

96.233.146.174

Published: April 27, 2009 at 4:10 PM

Im hoping the Rip Rock It coaster will be ready before I go to Universal in July. Ive been looking forward to it since I last visited in November of 2008 and I have planned a trip from Rhode Island for 8 people and planning it around this coaster and Manta!

As long as RRR & the Harry Potter expansion are complete by the time I head back to Orlando in 2010, then I will be good. Universal has yet to build a bad coaster, so I am holding out high hopes for their latest creation.

My prediction: RRR will be complete before July 4th.

68.205.176.40

Published: April 28, 2009 at 12:42 AM

I might be wrong, but I just drove home from my shift at the bar, and all of the remaining track stored along Turkey Lake Road has gone.

It also looks like the remaining track has been put in place (But my eyes do deceive me sometimes).

I was just there yesterday and noticed a construction supervisor watching some work being done in the loading area. I decided to ask him about the lift hill and he told me that it was being redone and they were waiting on the five new pieces of track. He told me nobody is being allowed to take vacation time until the ride is done and that Universal is pushing to have it open for July 4th.

It doesn't take a long time for a coaster track to be put together and tested. That to me raises the question as to why they are behind schedule. It appears that the track wasn't even finished as of those pictures, so maybe there was a design/fabrication issue. The reason could be one of several.

I do know that RRR is a little more than just a steel coaster. There are a lot of bells and whistles that need to be tested along with the trains.

There certainly is remaining track (Back of truck) and there was some still on Turkey Lake in the afternoon, gone by evening. They were getting ready to lift the piece that was on the back of the truck into place by the time I left Universal at 6.

The track doesn't actually take that long to connect once the supports are in place. Half of the loop was completed in a 3 hour period while I was there one day.

I was talking about the continuity of the ride. Brakes provide for more capacity, but a lot of times they end up being a wet blanket. My personal opinion is that I would rather wait longer in line for a great ride than go through the line a little faster for a so-so ride, and sometimes brakes become a huge let down when a ride gets going. I just didn't know if there was some kind of visual or whatever at each brake run. That to me would be a better cause.

It's still up in the air if I will get down there this year. I do have that free ticket from the Super Bowl, but who knows.

yeah, about the puking on roller coasters...it doesn't happen from having too much to drink...trust me.

It mainly a weak stomach thing...the booze won't help, but not the cause

The issue with coasters and being drunk is that the adrenaline that runs through your system on a coaster is natures only known cure for drunkness. A stomach pump and a shot of synthetic adrenaline they would give you at the hospital is the only other cure...again, you are just gonna have to trust me; I know these things

Try eight Maragrita's at Buffetts and one ride on the Hulk.No more drunky...had to leave the park to drink again. Then I went back after three more and the same thing. No more drunky.